One of our last official activities as World Racers before Final Debrief was to tour The Great Wall of China near the capital of Beijing. Getting there from our last ministry location involved a 2 hour bus ride and a 32 hour-double overnight-train ride! Our hostel in Beijing (site of the 2008 Summer Olympics) was only about 5 blocks from famous Tiananmen Square.

Here I am at Tiananmen Square before touring The Forbidden City our second day in Beijing. I should also mention that Jake and Spano and I enjoyed some incredible Tex-Mex the day before and TGI Friday's that night.

There is a large portion of The Great Wall near Beijing that has been restored and it is packed shoulder to shoulder with tourist. There's a cable-car to the top and a Starbucks at the bottom. We didn't go there! We went to the "secret-hidden wall" where we climbed up the mountain and then we were the ONLY ones hiking on the "as-is, original condition Great Wall of China!" for 2 miles or more. At the end of the hike we came back down the mountain to a small village where an awesome 6 course lunch was prepared for us. The Great Wall exceeded all of our expectations! It is a phenomenal testament to man's ingenuity and drive.

Looking Westward

Looking Eastward

Looking Upward!

Jimmy and Me and Chad (Check out the mountains in the background!)

Me and Tana

It looks like a toy village from up on The Wall

Candice and Briellyn

While we were in Beijing we discovered a tailor right around the corner from our hostel that specialized in Silk and Cashmere. Alyssa had this dress made and I had this Sport Coat made! Don't I look spiffy with my camp trousers, Jeep cap and tailor-made Cashmere Sport Coat.

There have been times during this whirlwind race around the world that I (along with every other racer) have latched onto anything remotely familiar and "homey". Seeing a Jeep (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) was one of those things and since a camera was rarely far away, here they are for your viewing pleasure:

This little Willy's just about got away from me in Antigua, Guatemala.

Here's a CJ-7 in Antigua

Another Willy's in Antigua…How ‘bout those sweet wheels!!

Honestly, I thought it was a CJ-7, then I got distracted by the driver, then I realized it was a Korando (built by Ssangyong in Korea I think).

Kids were playing with this Jeep inspired erector toy on sand dunes in Peru.

It's a Jeep and it was way cool- spotted at the border crossing between South Africa and Swaziland.

CJ-7? CJ-8? At the Airport Parking Garage in Bangkok, Thailand.

Another Willy's- this one in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

No Clue- parked outside a Govt. Office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

This is a Chinese manufactured SUV. I saw a dozen varieties included a topless model with a sexy "S" curve like a CJ5. I also saw a fully outfitted military model, but one is wise to be discreet in taking pics of military hardware in China- I thought it prudent to leave my camera in my pocket!

I saw a number of Cherokee's in China.

OK, it's obviously not a jeep. I don't know whether to call it a truck or a tractor but there were a lot of them in China and I'd love to drive one down a street!

After 40,000+ miles of travel by boats, planes, trains, busses, cars, mopeds, ATV's, tuk-tuks, kombis, subways, cable cars, elephants, horses, camels and my own two legs . . . this is what awaits my return in another week or so (and yes, I still have the '81 CJ5 and I might even miss it more than I do the Wrangler!)

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs.  Some of these are self-explanatory; some are not! Enjoy.

Couldn't Resist

Saw this one a lot; apparently there aren't too many tall attorneys in the rest of the world.

Love this one from a Mexican swimming hole.

Same swimming hole further upstream near the dangerous waterfall!

From the window of a train in China…just as we were going along a river canyon.

You don't want to see a sign advertising Severe Hemorrhagic Dengue Fever, not in Cambodia…not anywhere!

If there were burn marks around those holes in the sign I would have been really worried!

Yes sir, they use real, live grass in China National Parks.

Saw this sign on two trees in the National Park…I still don't get it.

What made this one funny was the historical marker next to it espousing the medicinal benefits of this particular natural spring and encouraging visitors to drink freely from it.

I don't care how germ-free the air is; if you breathe deeply 15 times you might pass out!

Just in case there's any confusion.

Spano couldn't resist.

Is this No Honking or No Tuba's?

Best Street Name Ever?

Seeing this sticker on a car will make you take notice!

Unless it's on this car!

BK in Guatemala- So Good It Needs an Armed Guard

Sign outside a Swaziland Restaurant.

‘Nuff Said

Couldn't learn the story behind this name but it sure caught our attention in China.

Probably my favorite sign of the bunch…from the Bayou View Baptist Church Going Away Party last year.

Here are some random thoughts about food for when I return to the US of A. If your name isn't in parenthesis, then feel free to sign-up or suggest something.

I will spend a few days in NYC with my niece before going home. We'll eat a lot of fast food, possibly a huge street vendor hot dog, a NY Style Pizza and something fancy, somewhere fancy (Brit,…pack a dress!)

Friday, Nov. 23- Return home just in time for Thanksgiving leftovers. At some point during that weekend I want Roast Beef and all the fixins (Momma), I want Chili (just buy the stuff and I'll make it), I want Sausage Balls and Chocolate Fudge (Momma again).

Saturday, Nov. 24- Fried Eggs over hard with crispy bacon (or sausage from that place in Amory), biscuits and gravy (Mae and Momma).

A few days later- maybe Monday, the 26^th- Supposedly there's a new sandwich deli in Clinton (Marissa, Emily or Amy). McAllister's will suffice. In fact, it's a must at some point.

Anything Stik wants to cook or go eat- just ready to see him again.

Thursday or Friday- Copeland's with my USM girls and guys…or maybe just Starbucks…or maybe Chic Fil A. It's really the kids I want to see.

The first weekend of December- return to Bayou View- Catfish at Shaw's or Catfish Charlie's (Jenna, et.al.), Steak and 3-Cheese Shrimp Dip at O'Charley's (Victoria), Anything smoked by Michael Gilreath, Shrimp Po Boy at Lil' Ray's.                                 

Not long after that in Alabama- Moe's in Opelika/Auburn (Haley, et.al.), PF Chang's at The Summit (the rest of The Trammel's), Anything (Shannon and Patrick).

Thursday, Dec. 13- Basketball Game at MSU and Little Dooey's or Obey's (Jency, Tyler and my MSU Kids).

Dec. 15-MSU vs. South Alabama Basketball Game & Brick Pit in Mobile (Mary).

After the 15^th- Back in Gulfport when school is out…Sunrise Sampler Breakfast at Cracker Barrel and a late night run to Waffle House!

End of December- Tailgating Food at whatever BOWL Game Mississippi State Plays in!!!

During part of our time in China we worked with college students as part of a cultural exchange program. We attended classes in the mornings, just like real students, only without homework and tests!! We took classes like "Paper Cutting", "Calligraphy", "Folk Music", "Tea Making", etc. Yeah, it was a tough schedule!

Our part of the "exchange" was to man English Corners every afternoon. English Corner is just a big two hour time to mingle with Foreign Language (English) students so they can practice conversational English with native speakers (us).

It just so happened that the University we were attending is close to one of China's many National Forest Parks. For those of you that know me well, you know there's no other geographical place I'd rather be than in the mountains, preferably with trees and rocks and clear mountain streams. Our Chinese student friends graciously agreed to be our guides to a Park about an hour away from where we were living.

I have listened often to Ben Stuart's podcasts this year. Ben is the weekly worship speaker at Breakaway- a college student ministry at Texas A & M. Earlier this year, in relation to Genesis and the creation narrative he stated that if we want to know about an Artist, then we look at the Art. Wow! Our God is a Great Artist. He is Majestic and Awesome. Just look and see.